Essence of Life
by Live-Laugh-Sing
Summary: Like father like daughter. Except Aika Dewhurst, daughter of Music Meister, wants to fight for good. "That's what happens when people keep secrets, dad. They get into Treble." Re-write of the story by Stonger123 (Linwe Tulcakelume).
1. Prologue

_Hey! LLS here! I'm not dead! I'm sorry I was away for so long, but I got caught up in things. I thought this would probably be the first story I should do since it's not actually mine and I said I would write it for someone..._

_This story is NOT MINE! The OC is NOT MINE! The plot and OC and just about everything except for what is owned by DC comics is owned by the esteemed writer, Stonger123 (now goes by the name Linwe Tulcakelume)._

_Okay, so the plan for this story is to kinda follow season one of Young Justice, and then go between seasons one and two (you know, the five year gap?). I hope to end the story before season two sets up. Mainly because I was not as big a fan of season two (scandalous, I know)._

_Most of the chapters will be written on an iPad or a Mac via Google docs. If you see any spelling or grammar errors, feel free to point them out. (Note: Spelling or grammar errors do not require a flame. In fact, I cannot think of a circumstance that would require a flame. Maybe I'm just naive, but I consider flaming one of the dumbest things ever. Why would you go through the work to write out a well-written flame instead of just closing the window and not reading the fanfic? I'll tell you why; flamers have nothing better to do with their lives than sit at their computers, surrounded by their pet cats, ruining the self-esteem of young writers.)_

_That brings me to my next point._

_Fair Warning: all flames will be reported. If you have something to say, it can be said using constructive critisism. I am a young writer; a highschool freshman. If you are some college student majoring in English, then you have absolutely no right to be flaming someone with half as much experience as you. I speak from both personal experience and common sense when I say it is just not cool. If my writing makes you so angry that you feel the need to flame me, then don't read it. Take your attitude and your exremely boring life (it must be if you feel the need to flame a freshman) and shove it up your (excuse the language) arse._

_Anyway, without further adieu..._

_the prologue._

* * *

_**Prologue**_

_**3rd Person POV**_

A little girl with bright green eyes and light brown hair played with a miniature piano in the living room, while her mother cooked dinner. The mother, named Melody, hummed a soft little tune as she stirred the pasta. Other than the sound of the little girls piano, the bubbling water, and the soft humming, the apartment was silent.

The Gotham apartment was nothing fancy. It was enough for a family of three to live comfortably. But where was the third?

Well, Jasper Collin Dewhurst was busy getting kicked out of yet another karaoke bar. Not because he couldn't sing, quite the opposite in fact. No, because he chose to sing songs by female artists and the high notes that he could reach would break the machine and place anyone within range in a sort of trance for the rest of the night. This was bad for business, of course, because then those people would stop buying drinks. So, Mr. Dewhurst was essentially a bad luck charm. Fed up with all the undereducated career-destroyers, both from his school days and just now, Mr. Dewhurst swore revenge.

A couple of months later, a new villain emerged. He called himself the Music Meister, and could place anyone in a trance purely with his voice. Sadly, we all know how this story goes. Batman and Black Canary defeat him and send him off to Arkham Asylum where he will stay until he either breaks out (like most people placed there by the Bat) or is deemed suitable to return to society.

* * *

Back at the house, the three-year-old girl is crying in the arms of her mama.

"Where papa?" she asks through her tears.

"He's on a...business trip," Melody says. She knows that Aika would not understand the severity of what her father has done, so she decides to save it for when he gets back, possibly even later than that. "He'll be gone for a pretty long time, though."

* * *

10 years later

Miracles and tragedies stuck the Dewhurst family all in one night. Jasper was released, but as he was getting home, he saw flashing lights. Blue, red, blue, red, blue, red.

'They can't be here for me,' he thought as he hurried towards the entrance. 'I even have the papers to prove that I didn't just bust out!' He heard crying, now he was worried. He ran in the direction of the crying and saw that the lights were not coming from police cars, as he had originally thought, but from an ambulance. He couldn't see the face of the woman being placed into the ambulance, but he could see the tear tracks on the face of the thirteen-year-old girl sitting on the steps near the entrance to the apartment complex.

What was extremely sad was not the fact that he had no clue that it was his wife being placed in the ambulance, but that he didn't know that it was his own daughter sobbing her heart out on the steps. That is, until she looked up.

"Dad?" Sniff. "You're back from you're business trip?"

"Aika? Y-yes, I'm back. What happened to your mother?"

More tears. "I don't know. We were in the kitchen when she just collapsed and stopped breathing. I called 911 as I checked her pulse, and she didn't have one." She burst into tears again

The next day, Melody Dewhurst was declared dead of unknown disease. Today would have been her birthday, too.


	2. You're Who?

_Hey guys! LLS! It's been five days and I believe that this is a new record for fastest time in which I have updated anything. This chapter is definitely longer than the prequel, so enjoy. _

_Just so you know, my winter break ends tomorrow, so it is probably going to be a while before I update again. I try to stay on top of things, but school comes first._

_I own nothing, not even the OC. That all belongs to the wonderful Linwe Tulcakelume! _

_Let's see..._

_McDaniel's Disease is completely made up and if it is the name of an actual disease I mean absolutely no offense by putting it in this story. I needed a name. I'm sorry._

Text... "Normal Dialogue"... _"Singing"..._**'Television/Newspapers'**

So...yeah. Without further adieu...

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Excuse me?**_

_**3rd Person POV**_

_**One year later. **_

Gotham City

"You're WHO?"

The question could be heard even from outside the smaller apartment. The father and daughter had moved since her mother's death. This new apartment was closer to downtown, so it cost just about as much, but had a better view. It was also given bonus points because it was right next to a music shop.

In the year since Melody's death, Aika had become more closed in. It's not like she was much of a talker anyway, she was prone to losing her voice.

She had started to wear darker colors, and cut her hair to her shoulders. She dove into her studies, both musically and academically.

"You're WHO?" Aika repeated as she barged into her father's room. She was holding an old newspaper clipping from when she was three years old. She'd found it at the bottom of a chest filled with her mother's belongings.

**'Music Meister Caught!' **the headline blared, right above a picture of her father gagged and in handcuffs.

Beneath the picture was a single caption, followed by a story.

'**No need to fret, the Music Meister, now identified as Jasper Dewhurst, is safely locked away in Arkham'**

Her father looked shocked, "Where did you get that?"

"In mom's chest. Did both of you know about this? Did you ever plan on telling me?"

"We didn't think you could handle it. We were gonna tell you when you were-"

"Older?" Aika interrupted. "You were incarcerated when I was three. When was I going to be ready?"

Her father looked down and chuckled, "after you had moved out of the house..."

Aika just stared at her father blankly before huffing and walking out of the room. He followed her as she made her way to her room.

"Aika, honey. It's not like that!"

"No! All those years that I thought 'dad is such a hard worker. He's been away on the business trip such a long time,' turns out, he was just sitting in a cell, being fed meds, and attending therapy so he wouldn't hypnotize people every time he sang!"

Jasper grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"That is NOT why we didn't tell you. Your mother and I were both worried that you would have the same abilities! We didn't want you to hurt anyone!"

Aika's eyes widened. She silenced all shouting. Dropping the news clipping she looked into her father's eyes.

"So that's why you wouldn't let me take singing lessons."

"It's utterly pointless. I've heard you in the shower."

Aika bent down and picked up the clipping.

"And is this-," she held it up to his face, "-why neither mom nor you would let me go to a regular school?"

He sighed, "music classes do require singing nowadays."

Aika turned into her room. She shook her head and looked at her desk. On the desk sat a necklace that had been given to her by her mother before Melody died. It was a little treble clef. The base turned into an 'M'. Aika had always assumed that it stood for 'Melody', but now there was another option.

"So that necklace that mom gave me, the one with the 'm'. What does that stand for now that I know the truth?"

"It stands for whatever you want it to."

* * *

A few hours later:

Aika was sitting in her room when she heard her father cry out in outrage. They had come into a grudging agreement never to speak of their earlier argument again. She snuck out of her room to see what the matter was.

Jasper was sitting on the couch, head in his hands. The six o'clock news was on the television.

**"Today it was announced that a Wayne Enterprises scientist, who wishes to remain anonymous, has discovered a cure for McDaniel's rare illness is fatal in early stages, usually it consists of seizures that cause the victim to stop breathing and lower the heart rate..."**

The television trailed off. Aika understood why her father had suddenly become so grieved.

"What were the symptoms of mom's thing again?" Aika asked.

Jasper shook as he quietly said, "loss of breath, drastically lowered heart rate."

"And the doctors had said that the loss of breath was caused by-"

"-Seizures," he interrupted.

"Was is McDaniel's Disease that they thought she may have had?" Aika didn't need her father to say anything. It was obvious with his body expression. He was getting angrier by the second.

"Dad, please don't do anything," Aika pleaded, "They were working as hard as they could. Mom's was just so sudden, it was her first seizure, There was no way anyone could have seen it coming."

Her pleads did nothing as he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. Aika heard a car drive of and knew there was no way of her catching up to him at this point.

Not seeing a point in staying up any longer (it was about 10:30 anyway), Aike decided to go to bed, but she wanted to make one stop first. Grabbing a candle out of her mother's chest, along with a picture of Melody.

Aika went into her room and headed towards the window. The fire escape easy enough to work with, as it was penthouse apartment. Aika didn't have to worry about lowering any ladders, just getting up the one set before reaching the roof.

Aika lit the candle and set it on the edge, the picture on the floor beneath it.

"Hey Mom. It's been a year and I still haven't gotten over what happened, though Dad seems to be taking it worse than I am. I understand now, why you were so vague when you talked about him. I always asked when he would be home, and if you had told me the truth, then I probably wouldn't have talked to you for a month and a half."

Aika giggled a little bit at that part.

"I heard on the news that they figured out a cure for McDaniel's Disease. That's what all the doctors said you had. I guess it's pointless telling you that now though, huh? It's already too late for you. Six feet under and everything."

"The only question I have is did you really know everything? Did you know what really happened those few days he was trying to take over the world? Were you affected by his powers? I don't think I was, 'cause he'll sing around the house and nothing will happen with me. Anyway, I did some research this afternoon about the whole 'Music Meister Fiasco' from ten years ago, and I don't think I can ever look at Dad the same way again. You and he were married when this happened, right? I mean, I had already been born. I was three years old."

Aika started to get a disgusted look on her face at this point.

"Mom, he wanted to have an _affair_. The way the papers mention him singing to and talking about Black Canary is just horrible. You and he were married and he tried to have an _affair_ with a superhero. Did you know about that? I hope for your sake that you didn't. I have nothing against Canary, she rejected him the entire time, But I cannot look at dad without seeing that picture from the papers. He looked so heartbroken. It was like he had forgotten that he had a family waiting for him at home."

The tears were falling down her face at this point.

"I'm sorry if I just ruined the one-year anniversary or something. I promise never to mention anything like that again."

The candle had burned down to almost nothing (it had been a small candle to begin with). Aika wiped away a tear as she stood up with the picture in hand, leaving the candle to burn all the way down. She looked up at the moon.

"Happy Birthday Mom."


	3. Loyalty is Different than Blood

_**Hey guys! LLS! I'm sorry this took so dang long, but school. My first AP class is killing me. Anyway, I thought I would say this now so that I don't ever have to write it again.**_

_"Normal Dialogue" "Singing" 'Thinking' _**"Speaking on a TV/Radio/Sound-giving device (includes COMMING the team)" ****_"Singing on a Sound-Giving device" _***Speaking with the Team via psychic link* 'Writing'

**_Now, if anyone is confused on to why something is in a specific font, there is your explanation. If I think of something else, or another scenario plays out, I will add it in to the list and place the new list in another author's note._**

**_Let's see, the plot is not mine, the OC is not mine (they both belong to Linwe Tulcakelume), neither of the songs are mine. The first song is "The World is Mine" from _****_Batman the Brave and the Bold,_****_ and the second song, I'm sad to say, is "I've got Tricks up My Sleeve" from _****_My Little Pony. _****_ Please don't judge me. _**

**_Let me just say now, two months for an update is fast for me, especially one this long. The only way I got this one up now is because somehow, Texas got a snow day in February. This is not normal._**

**_Anyway, without further adieu..._**

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Loyalty is Different than Blood**_

_**3rd Person POV**_

Gotham City

The sun was shining through her curtains, burning through her closed eyes when she awoke. It seemed quiet. There were no cars on the streets nor people on the sidewalks. Aika looked across and saw that the door of the apartment across from hers was wide open, with no one inside.

Aika raised a brow and walked into the living room and switched on the television. She then walked into the kitchen to make some semblance of breakfast (it was a Saturday, and she didn't exactly have a set schedule).

Apple in hand, Aika jumped over the back of the couch and landed with her feet crossed and her back up against the arm. There was a blonde reporter on the screen.

**"...have left their homes unprotected. No one can find a connection between these people except for..." **Strange music started to play through the speakers of the television.

**"**_**The Music Meister sings the song that the world wants to hear..."**_

Aika perked up when she heard the singing. That wasn't supposed to happen. The screen flipped to a shot of her father. Wearing possibly the cheesiest fur cape ever. His eyes were covered by a pair of eighth note glasses.

'_Oh my god," _Aika thought. '_What is he doing?'_

He started speaking with the beat.

**'Oh **_**hello**_ **dear Gotham,**

**You are under my control.'**

**'You can not think**

**But you'll do as you are told.'**

**'If my wife couldn't live**

**Then neither will you.'**

**'So run up to the tops,**

**and jump off to your doom!'**

Aika couldn't believe it, this was all because of her father...no, Jasper. This is all because of Jasper.

_'I've got to do something!'_ Aika thought. She ran into her room and threw open the doors of her closet. She drudged around until she found purple corset top which she had never planned on wearing.

'_Okay, think Aika. Jasper gets arrested, you go to a foster home. Jasper gets away, but without having killed anyone, you can make a plead for a trial and get him put on house arrest until you can figure this out."_

She could hear people singing outside.

"_The music Meister _

_Sings the song that the world wants to hear._

_Let's not fight, let's get along_

_For our hypnotic propetier!_

Aika had put on the top, a pair of black skinny jeans, and boots.

'_If dad sees me, I'm grounded for a month and I _still _wouldn't be able to help him.'_

She grabbed a black scarf and wrapped it around her mouth. The sound would still escape if she needed it to, but you couldn't tell who she was.

Aika ran out of the apartment and locked the door behind her.

* * *

Wayne Tower  


3rd Person POV- Batman, Robin, and Black Canary.

"He's gotten smarter, but not any less dramatic," Canary observed. Meister was everywhere. On screens anyway. The man himself was nowhere to be found.

"The videos on the newer models are feeding through at the same speed as the videos on the older models," Batman said while looking at the feeds of two different screens. "He has to projecting from multiple transmitters across this city for that to work."

"Of course! Otherwise the original models wouldn't be synchronized with the new ones!" Robin exclaimed.

"He did that on purpose. So that we would find different transmitters, but not him," Batman said.

"But, if we can triangulate the position of multiple transmitters-"

"It'll lead us straight to the source!"

The three got to work.

* * *

Gotham City

3rd Person POV- Aika Dewhurst

Aika ran into her father's room, wearing the outfit she had donned and now looking for anything she could use or clues to where her father might have gone. She opened the top drawer of his dresser and immediately closed it while scrunching up her face in disgust. Hopefully, nothing useful would be hidden among his boxer shorts.

The second drawer consisted of polos and different types of pants. The third, however, was locked.

_'If I were a key, where would I be?' _Aika asked herself. She looked over on the bed stand and saw her mother's old jewelry box. Inside this box was a little gold key that was just the right size for the drawer.

Inside the third drawer were three pairs of eighth-note glasses- which she did not put on as she already had the scarf around her nose and mouth- what looked like car keys, and a little wooden box. In the little box was what looked like the prototype for a microphone with an extremely sharp edge. A knife? Next to this prototype was a slip of paper with an address and the words...

'Meet with E.

1207 Pepper st.

Meet to finish model.

Tuesday.'

_'E?' _Aika thought. '_Does that stand for Edward? As in uncle Eddie? One way to find out. If anyone knows where dad is, it's Eddie.'_

Aika grabbed the prototype knife and stuck it in her boot. The keys were shoved in a pocket along with the address. Making her way down to the abandoned street, Aika clicked the lock button on the keys. A light flashed through a motorcycle cover a few spots down.

Underneath the cover was a white motorbike. Aika didn't know the first thing about the make or model, but she had a general idea of how to ride it.

_'Okay Aika. Time to make a decision. Do something illegal to keep dad from doing something even _more _illegal, or stay put and let dad do his thing?'_

The decision was made fairly quickly as Aika climbed onto the bike and drove off to the address on the paper.

* * *

Gotham City

Abandoned Apartment

As Aika pulled up to the building she started to second-guess herself. Had she really gone to the right place? She had never actually met Uncle Eddie, but the way Melody would talk about him, he didn't sound like the kind of guy to live in a place like this.

'_Oh well, if anyone knows where dad may be broadcasting from, it's Eddie,' _Aika thought. She walked up to the door and knocked. No answer.

"Uncle Eddie?" Aika called, hoping someone was inside.

_'What if he is under the spell too? Though, this doesn't exactly look like a place with televisions, and you can't hear the music at this end of the city,' _Aika thought. She started to back away, planning on circling the building to see if there was another entrance, but just before she turned around, the door was opened by a large mass of a man.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Who are you?" She retorted. He started to close the door, but she ran and put her foot in the way.

"Wait," she said, "I need to see Eddie. Is he here?"

"Depends who's asking."

"Tell him it's Melody's daughter."

The man closed the door and left Aika standing there, hoping that someone would return. After about five minutes, her cell phone rang out of her back pocket. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was an unknown number. She answered. Before she even got a chance to say "hello," another voice piped up.

"Let me get this straight my dear. You're mean to tell me that a niece I have never met and with whom I have never spoken on the phone suddenly knows exactly where to find me?"

"That sounds about right," Aika replied.

"Before I answer any of your questions, tell me how you found me and who you have told."

Aika sighed. "I found a slip of paper with your initial and this address on it in my dad's drawer about an hour ago. I haven't told anyone about this. I'm starting to rethink that last decision, though."

"Darling, is that a threat?"

"No, just an observation," she replied shakily.

"Alright. One more thing. When is a door not a door?"

Aika didn't have to think about her next answer; Melody had been quite fond of riddles. "When it's been left ajar."

"Good job. You'll find the entrance unlocked. Go up the stairs and into the first room on your right. The numbers on the door should be 221b. No one will harm you, but please don't make a scene." And with that, he hung up.

True to his word, Aika opened the door with no trouble. Directly in front of her was a set of stairs that led to a short hallway. However, the apartment, 221b, was still locked when she reached it.

"Uncle Eddie," she said, "will you please open the door?"

The door opened and behind it stood a (kind of short) man with shaggy brown hair. He was on the skinnier side and had on a purple top and jeans. Aika pulled down her scarf so her could see her face.

"Oh my god. You look exactly like your mother," he said. She noticed as he talked that he had a gap in between his two front teeth. "What do you need, my dear?"

"Unless you've been living under a rock, you would have realized that the whole city has been hypnotized by my father," Aika started.

"So? And in case you haven't noticed, I more or less have been under a rock."

"I need your help to stop dad."

"Isn't that a certain flying rodent's job?" He raised a brow at this.

"Batman will just put dad back in Arkham. I'm not doing this for him, this is so that I can keep myself out of an orphanage," Aika said. "Wait, wouldn't they just send me to you?"

"Ah, greed. A powerful motivator when it need be," he said as he walked over to his desk. "And no, they wouldn't. My living situation is too...unstable at the moment. Anyway... What was your name again?"

"Aika."

"So your parents did come to an agreement over that one."

"Excuse me?"

"Jasper had wanted a musical name while Little Mel had wanted something a little more subtle. Aika is Japanese for 'love song'. Anyway, Love Song, your father and I had been working on a prototype microphone before he did whatever he's doing now. I believe he was storing it in a drawer at your apartment."

"I know the one," Aika said as she shifted her leg which beheld the boot under which the knife-microphone thing was kept.

"Anyway, in that microphone should be a chip. On that chip is a recording of Black Canary's cry. We were going to use it so that the microphone would be immune to the cry, but since the one he is probably using right now doesn't have that chip, it should be able to wake everyone up. It can be inserted into any kind of video camera as a memory chip. Most cameras like that come with a cord for you to plug it into a computer or sound system."

"So I find a camera, put the chip in it, find dad and his computers, get the camera plugged into the computers and press play? Poof, everyone wakes up?"

"Poof. But your father may object."

"I'll worry about him. Do you know where he is broadcasting from?"

"He kept mentioning the band hall, start there."

"Thanks Uncle Eddie."

"Anytime little Love Song. Do me a favor, don't mention this to anyone."

Aika just nodded, a little confused as to why he didn't want anyone knowing about their interaction.

She walked outside, pulled up her scarf so it covered her face, and drove off towards the arts district.

* * *

Gotham City Band Hall

_"The Music Meister _

_sings the song that the world wants to hear_

_Let's not fight lets get along_

_For our hypnotic propetier!"_

Jasper could still hear the singing as he sat at the desk in the large choir room, surrounded by computer monitors and a central hub. The central hub fed to all the different transmitters around the city, that way all his little singers were keeping perfect time.

He kept glancing up at the skylight, expecting the dynamic duo to come crashing in at any second. He was hoping his throw-off leading to Wayne Industries was enough. He sat and watched as his little minions caused chaos throughout the city.

Just outside the band hall, the white motorcycle was pulling up. Aika hopped off and grabbed the camcorder with the chip inside. This particular camcorder had no cord, if just plugged directly into the computer.

As Aika was walking up to the entrance, she realized that her father would recognize her shy personality. _'Okay Aika. You have to completely remake your personality in about two minutes. Let's just go totally opposite- loud, obnoxious. Make a scene.'_

Those were her exact thoughts as she stumbled upon a room filled with computers instead of instruments. Her father sat in the middle of it all. Aika took a big breath and pushed open the doors.

Jasper jumped and turned around.

"Well Sir, you've done a fine job of re-decorating _this_ room, but what of the other 67? Did you really spend all of our funds on all these computers and then just stick them in one room? If that wasn't a dumbass move then I don't know what is!"

"Who the hell are you?" Jasper yelled

"Isn't it obvious, I'm the interior decorator! I must say, if you worked half as hard on the rooms as you did on you stupid _outfits_ then you would be rich by now!"

"How are you not..."

"Oh darling, I just don't listen to _bad music_."

Jasper's face was reddening by the minute. Any more nasty comments and he may have to blow this ignorant music-hater out of existence. Aika started to walk around the room like a king walks around his court.

"I just don't see how you forgot someone so trivial! It was an obvious slip in the plan! I shouldn't have expected any better from a mere _choir boy._"

That was the last straw. Jasper flung himself at this mystery girl, using his microphone stand to pin her to the wall by her shoulders.

"Give me one reason not to blast you right here, right now," he growled.

"Cause, darling...

_Ya better believe  
I got tricks up my sleeve_

_And I captivate_  
'Cause I'm powerful and great

_Ya better believe  
I got tricks up my sleeve_

_See me dominate_  
'Cause I'm powerful and great"

Aika pushed Jasper off of her and grabbed his wrists, twirling him around the room.

_"You think you've got what it takes to go toe to toe?  
I've got more moves than you'll ever know  
I own the stage, I'm all the rage  
You're from the past, I'm from the Space Age"_

Little did either of the two people in the room realize that they had an audience.

"She's new," Robin commented, "and not doing a bad job for a first timer, either."

Black Canary had a confused look on her face. "What _is_ she doing?"

"She has a camera in her back pocket. Right side. It's a model that plugs directly into the computers. Most likely, she has something on that camera that can shut all of this off. The singing is just a distraction to get her over there unharmed."

_"Come on, you're just making noise  
Listen how my music destroys  
Anything you throw at me  
I'm gonna throw back, just wait and see"_

The trio watched as Aika twirled her father around and tried her hardest to get over to the computers. Jasper stopped her and tried to punch her, but she took off her scarf just in time.

_"Ya better believe  
I got tricks up my sleeve_

_And I captivate_  
'Cause I'm powerful and great

_Ya better believe  
I got tricks up my sleeve_

_See me dominate  
'Cause I'm powerful and great"_

Jasper was put into a trance, as he hadn't been expecting to see that face under the scarf. His pupils enlarged, telling Aika that he was under her control.

_"I'm here to take you down a peg  
Oh, whoa, oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh-oh  
By the time I'm done, you're gonna beg  
Oh, whoa, oh whoa oh whoa oh oh  
To be in my band, application rejected!_

Don't look so sad and so dejected"

Aika kept singing as she walked over to the central hub and pulled out the camera. She plugged it in, but waited to turn it on. She walked over to her hypnotized father and tied her scarf around his hands so that when she stopped singing, he couldn't get out.

_"Don't mean to brag, don't mean to boast  
But I'm a six-course meal and you're just burnt toast  
Think I'm gonna ever give up?  
No, never, ever, ever, ever!_

_Come on, you're just making noise  
Listen how my music destroys_

_Anything you throw at me  
I'm gonna throw back, just wait and see"_

Black Canary, Batman, and Robin had all gotten into the computer room at this point and were watching Aika as she worked and finished her song. They were still wearing their earplugs, so her singing didn't affect them. Aika had noticed their presence in the room and smiled their way.

_"Ya better believe  
I got tricks up my sleeve_

_And I captivate  
'Cause I'm powerful and great_

_Ya better believe  
I got tricks up my sleeve_

_See me dominate  
'Cause I'm powerful and great!"_

She pressed a button on the camera and a recording of Canary's shriek filled the city. Two of the four heroes in the room flinched. Black Canary didn't feel the need to as it was her cry that filled the room.

After a few seconds, Aika fell to her knees in pain. Not having thought this one through, she didn't wear any kind of earplugs. Her hands flew to her head and she started to scream in pain. Soon she was unconscious.

"Someone get some earplugs on her!" Canary cried over the shriek, "if she's unconscious, then the pressure from her hands onto her ears is weakened, she'll be deafened!"

Robin raced over and pried Aika's hands off of her head one by one, replacing each hand with a plug. Soon, Aika's pain-stricken face returned to a neutral state, but she still did not awaken.

Batman walked over and unplugged the camera, silencing the sound. Moments after he did this, Jasper started to wake up, as he had also been affected by the cry. His eyes flew to the unconscious girl laying with her head in Robins arms.

"Aika?" He asked, trying to move over only to find that he was restrained. "Aika! What did you do to her you filthy flying rat!"

Batman walked over to him and replaced Aika's scarf with a pair of real handcuffs. "We didn't do anything, she came and stopped you."

"No, she wouldn't! I was doing this for her mother! For her mother! Those bastards at Wayne Medical weren't working on a cure! They found a cure too late! Maybe for someone else! But I wasn't married to anyone else! No one else can be my Melody! No one else can be her mother!" Jasper started yelling and screaming as Batman started to drag him out of the band hall. Robin picked up Aika and followed Canary out.

* * *

**_So? Did you like it? I promise, it gets better from here, and lots better as the story goes on._**

**_(\\(\_**

**_(-.-)_**

**_o(")(")_**

**_Do you like my bunny?_**

**_LLS OUT!_**


	4. OnlyinGotham BirdWatching

I am SO SORRY it took so long. I was hoping it wouldn't take all school year plus summer, but I did say I update slowly. I had my first AP class which was taking up most of my time, and then when we got into summer my grandma got dementia so we had to go up to SD to see her and her condo has NO WIFI and then we got home and my mom got put in the hospital for pneumonia and THEN I broke my leg and I feel so bad.

Any way, so sorry this took forever. The next chapter probably will, too. You might have it by next summer. I try to keep them long at least.

The song she sings is called 'The Truth about Ninja's' by S.J. Tucker and if you search it you can find it on YouTube.

The hashtag OnlyinGotham was NOT MY IDEA but it is a real hashtag on tumblr and I follow the person who posts most of them. They also had the idea of #Birdwatching. Their blog name is literally OnlyInGotham if you want to follow them.

And without further Adieu...

* * *

_**Chapter 4: #OnlyinGotham #BirdWatching.**_

_The Cave_

_11:47 a.m._

_3rd Person POV_

"She is responsive in most areas, but she still is yet to wake up," Batman said. Superboy looked confused.

"What does that mean?"

"She's just sleeping and won't wake up yet," Canary explained.

"Oh."

"But, her auditory functions have been highly enhanced," Batman said.

"In English, please," Artemis piped up.

Wally understood before the rest of the team. "Oh. You said that she was knocked out by a recording of the canary cry, right? So instead of deafening her, like it would have had the cry been live, the cry made her ears hypersensitive!" The two leaguers nodded.

M'gann raised her hand. "How hypersensitive? Is it range, pitch, or something else I'm forgetting?"

Canary was the next to speak, "we're not sure. We haven't been able to thoroughly test for either because she isn't awake. For now, we've muted all the monitors in her room just in case it is a hypersensitivity to volumes. They will only go off if there is a major problem."

Wally spoke up, "Why are you guys willingly giving us information about this girl? We've never met her, and she is currently in the Watchtower. Seems more like that 'League Business' that you guys never tell us about."

Batman replied, "would you rather be kept in the dark about something that may affect the number of people on this team?"

Wally looked shocked. "But, you just replaced, sorry, added another member less than a week ago!"

Artemis looked at him. "You got a problem with that, Wall-man?"

"What they mean to ask is, this girl who is joining the team, what is her name?" Kaldur asked.

"Both the possibility of her joining the team and giving her name will be decided after she wakes up."

* * *

_Watchtower Infirmary_

_12:53 p.m._

There was a low droning to the left. Extremely low, both in pitch and volume. It sounded like heavy machinery. Like in a train or a boat. The way her breathing echoed off the Pwalls in the room told her that there were two doors and one window. The doors were somewhere in front of and to the left of her, while the window was directly on her right.

She felt the blankets from her waist down, and the pillow beneath her head. Her eyes opened and she saw an extremely boring white ceiling with blue walls to her front, back, and left. True to her guess, there were two doors, on directly in front of her, and another to her left. The thing she thought had been a window (as it turned out, it was a picture of Earth) was, indeed, directly to her right.

She looked down and saw that she was wearing a white tank top and a pair of black pajama pants. Her hair was pulled back into a small ponytail. There was a patch with a cord attached on her neck.

There was an intravenous drip inserted into the inside of her right elbow, and the bag that was situated next to the picture was about half full. Wait. The picture.

The picture was moving. The Earth in that picture was rotating. That wasn't a picture, was it? Aika wasn't on Earth anymore. So she responded naturally.

She screamed. Or, at least, she tried to.

A horrible pain seared through her throat, and the only sound that came out was a hoarse whisper.

Aika's heartbeat monitor started beeping rapidly, and her breathing sped up. The high-pitched beeping from the monitor was causing extreme pain in her head. It felt like her skull was about to explode. Aika kept trying to scream but nothing was happening. Her eyes started to blur.

"The monitors turned on! Come on! She's awake!" An unfamiliar blonde cried as she rushed into the room. The blonde rushed over to Aika and started trying to talk to her.

"Honey, can you hear me?"

Aika knew she couldn't answer, but she just kept trying to scream. Everything was just so LOUD. Every sound was like a car horn blaring in her ear.

The blonde unplugged all the machines, and suddenly, most of the loud sounds were gone. The droning that Aika first noticed was still there. She slowly pried her hands away from her head and laid back down on the bed.

"Here, put these in your ears," the blonde said, handing Aika what looked like earbuds, but with a bat on them. "Can you still hear me?" Aika nodded. "Good. We'll get some better looking ones later."

"Tha-" Aika remembered the pain in her throat.

"Don't try to talk, Aika," the blonde said. "You're still recovering from all the singing you did last week." Aika nodded her head. Then she remembered why she started screaming in the first place. Pointing at the window, she made a face that said, "what?"

"Hmm?" the blonde said. "Oh, that. You aren't on Earth right now, you're in the Justice League's orbiting satellite. We call it the Watchtower." Aika nodded again. A man decked in green walked into the room. He smiled at Aika as he handed her an electronic tablet.

"You can use that to type."

'Thank you,' Aika wrote. 'You two look familiar.'

Both of them chuckled. "You've probably seen us on newspapers. I'm Green Arrow, and this is Black Canary."

'Canary said something about last week. How long have I been asleep?' Aika typed.

This time it was Arrow who spoke, "you've been asleep since last Thursday. It's Wednesday. Do you remember anything about what happened?"

'Pretty sure I remember all of it. Everything up to me blacking out after pressing a button.'

Canary looked pleased. "Okay, that makes this much easier. Why did you go after Music Meister? The three of us could've handled him."

Aika rolled her eyes and started typing. 'That's exactly what I _didn't _want to happen. Jasper is my father, and my only suitable legal guardian. If he went to jail I would have been put in an orphanage or foster home. I've heard enough horror stories out of Gotham to know that I would rather have a major criminal for a father than be sent to one of the girls' homes.'

Green Arrow looked confused, "doesn't Bruce Wayne fund the orphanages in Gotham? they shouldn't be as bad as they used to be."

'That's where you're wrong. I doubt Wayne knows it but the contracts that sign over part of Waynetech's profits to the orphanages actually say "boys homes" and not generic "orphanages" or "girls homes." It was some of the lawyers' way of shoving all the money into one place. When Wayne comes to inspect, they only take him to Boys homes. Those have gotten better, but the Girls homes and mixed homes have most likely gotten worse.'

Canary looked at Green Arrow. "You said Jasper was your only suitable guardian? You have other family?"

Aika nodded. 'I have an uncle Eddie. I don't know much about him. All I know is that he moves around way too often for CPS to allow me to live with him.'

Canary looked at Green Arrow and smirked. Arrow's eyes widened, "you aren't seriously considering-"

"You got a problem with it? Why not?"

"She... I... but... Yeah I got nothing."

Aika awkwardly raised her hand while they were conversing. On the tablet was written, 'Why is everything so loud?'

Black Canary read the tablet and handed it to Green Arrow. "Explain the situation. I'm going to go get Br-Batman." She then walked out of the room with her hand to the communications unit in her ear. "J'onn, I need you to call Batman. Yes, She's awake. Definately a sensitivity to volumes, not sure about pitch. If you could ask him to bring those prototypes we were talking about…" her voice trailed off as she got further away.

Green Arrow looked at Aika. "Did you understand any of that jumble?" Aika shook her head 'no.'

Arrow sighed. "Okay. So, you were knocked out by a recording of Canary's scream, right?" Aika nodded. "Okay, had it been a live scream right by your ear, where the speaker was, you would be deaf right now. But, since it was a recording, it was less powerful and weakened a bit. Instead of hurting your ears, the exposure has made them extremely hypersensitive to different stimuli. Considering the way you acted when you first came to, you definitely have a sensitivity to volumes, especially since the little beeping from the heartbeat monitor was causing you physical pain. That's why we gave you those plugs, and considering you can still hear us, it is a pretty sizable hypersensitivity. Those plugs tend to block out everything."

Aika just stared at him for a few moments. She finally motioned for the tablet, which Green Arrow handed to her, and started writing.

'So, let me get this right. my ears weren't hurt, they were hyped up. So now I can hear lots of shit that normal people don't hear and some of it causes pain,'

"Sounds about right."

Aika started typing again. 'Three more questions. 1) Canary had said something about prototypes. Do those have anything to do with me? 2) I just noticed that my necklace is missing. Where is it and can I have it back? And 3) what is this thing on my neck for? '

Green Arrow smirked. "Canary changed your clothes into what you're wearing now, and sent the original outfit to Batman for testing in case you were trying to sneak some sort of dangerous chemical in here. If he doesn't find anything, you get everything back, no questions asked. The patch on your neck was monitoring movement of your vocal chord since we knew you wouldn't be making too much noise when you woke up. About the prototypes, you'll see when Batman gets here." Aika nodded again, then started typing on the tablet.

'Any idea how long before they get back?'

"I don't know, five minutes?"

They sat in silence, both technological and vocal, for exactly three minutes and fifty-one seconds before the door opened and four people walked in. Aika recognized three of them, Black Canary, Batman, and Robin. The last person- Martian Manhunter- was a stranger, but she had seen him in the news a couple of times.

Canary was carrying a bundle of clothes which Aika assumed were what she had been wearing when last she was awake. Batman was holding some sort of vial with a blue concoction inside, a Robin was clutching...headphones?

Batman walked up and handed her the vial. Aika grabbed it but just stared at him with a confused look on her face.

"Drink it." The confused look turned to one of suspicion. Robin piped up, "it'll take care of your laryngitis problem." With that, Aika downed the vial. The blue liquid lozenge tasted of peppermint and spearmint. It slid down her throat, coating the vocal folds and bringing back her voice.

"Better?" Batman questioned.

Aika nodded, "much. Thank you." She handed the tablet to Green Arrow.

Black canary walked forward and placed Aika's clothing on the edge of the bed then pulled the patch off her neck. "Okay Aika, Batman is going to take the IV out of your arm, and everyone is going to leave while you put on more comfortable clothes. Then, we'll have someone escort you to our observation deck so we can see if the other prototypes work. Got it?" Everyone else was already leaving the room.

"Yeah, I think so. Do we know who the escort is going to be?" Batman was already taking the IV out of her arm.

"Well, batman and Robin have to help me set up the observation deck, J'onn has monitor duty, and Green Arrow needs to go to a day job meeting. I don't have a current list of who all is here at the moment..."

Batman had finished taking out the IV. "Both lanterns, but they're getting job assignments as we speak, Question, Zatara, Flash, and Superman. All are working on something except Flash. I'll call him." And with that, Batman left the room.

Black Canary giggled, "he's saying that you might want to get changed...quickly."

"Got it. Thank you," Aika said as Canary was leaving the room.

Everything that had been in her outfit a week ago was in the pile now, save for the microphone knife, but Aika had already assumed that would be missing. Her necklace has been clasped around the lace on her right boot, and that was the first piece of her getup she dawned. When she had finished getting dressed and no one had come to retrieve her, she lay back down on the bed, closed her eyes, and started quietly singing.

_Paragon of dignity,_

_Untouchable and lethal_

_But there's more to life than shuriken._

_._

_Sudden death comes easy when you practice everyday_

_you'll think you're ten feet tall and bulletproof until you pass my way_

_And you will never see it coming _

_No one's sad to see you go_

_Within my eyes you'll glimpse the wisdom you were not prepared to know._

_In fearing what you cannot see you'll fall beneath my hand _

_This is a ninja thing you wouldn't understand._

_._

_You will never know I'm here until it's far too late_

_It is a ninja's way to pass unseen and not to storm the gate _

_Moving quieter than kittens circumnavigating law_

_Tiptoeing merciless as nightfall._

_Until I pounce and disappear again you'll never hear a thing _

_The soul has always been corrupted_

_But the heart and hands are clean_

_Sworn enemies fall lifeless though they never see my face_

_The game if glory but I take my joy in leaving not a trace_

_._

_My actions quick as lightning unintended to hurt you_

_I'm only doing what a Ninja's gotta do._

_Dada do da do dada do da_

_._

_Following the way_

_Creeping night and day_

_I won't say life is hard_

_But I must restrain my urges to run naked through my yard_

_._

_No ninja goes out streaking it just simply isn't done_

_My career would shrivel up and die but damn would it be fun_

_To see the neighbors eyes as big as saucers peering from their doors_

_I pirouette beneath the moonlight _

_days of skulking, hiding, sneaking, and assassinating enemies no more_

_Just one streak of brightness in a world of black and blue_

_I'd just be doing what a ninja's gotta do_

_Wouldn't you_

_Go skinny dipping like a ninja gotta do!?_

.

After the song had ended, Aika looked up and there in front of her was a man dressed all in red, who she assumed was Flash. He was snickering.

"Shit, how much of that did you hear?"

"About half. Don't sing that one to Batman," He replied, still trying not to laugh.

Flash and Aika headed out of the room and into the hallway.

"So no one actually told me your name, what is it?"

"Aika Dewhurst"

"Dewhurst? Like Meister's kid?"

"Fastest man alive, huh?"

"If you're his kid and you have his powers, how come I didn't... Ya know?"

I have no idea. Maybe it's because I was bored and didn't think anyone was hearing me. Maybe it only works if I think someone can hear me? You probably should have made more noise."

Flashed snorted. "Usually I'm pretty good at drawing attention to myself."

After a couple moments of walking and talking, Flash suddenly became very quiet and put his hand up to one of the...antenna?... on his head like it was a Bluetooth.

"Flash...oh hey Kid... Gimme ten minutes. I'm playing escort...yes, her...still her choice...not unless she wants one...out."

Aika smiled, "ooh, who was that? Anyone I know?"

"Kid Flash, you know him?"

"I know _of_ him. Pretty sure I've never met him. I'da remembered that."

"Oh?"

"It's _Gotham_. Gothamites post shit like that to Facebook. 'Guess who just crashed through my second floor window? Hashtag onlyinGotham' or 'This week in tips I received: one batarang, a ninja star, two canisters of fear gas, a deck of cards, and three riddles! Hashtag onlyinGotham!"

"Is that hashtag a thing?" Flash asked between laughs. Aika nodded.

"So is hashtag BirdWatching where all who follow it are dedicated to stalking the Boy Wonder."

They both started laughing then continued down the hall toward the training room.


	5. Sax in the City

I know! I'm sorry! I'm a horrible human being for not updating in months! I tried to make this chapter longer than the last one, but I'm not sure I succeeded. I'm gonna skip the excuses and just go to the sorry-not-sorry part. We all know it's going to be forever before I update again. Oops. At least I didn't really leave you with a cliffhanger this time!

Anyway, without further adieu...

**Chapter 5: ****_Sax in the City_**

* * *

_Watchtower Observation Deck_

_1:10 p.m._

"Dinah, You can't seriously be considering taking her in!"

"I'm only putting my name on her legal sheets. She's only staying with us long enough to get back on her feet," Canary replied to Green Arrow.

Ollie sighed. "What are we going to do after she's 'back on her feet? How are we going to get her there?"

"The music shop. There's one right by her apartment. The owners are looking for a part-time worker. They'll ever let her choose her hours. It'll be on a volunteer schedule. She comes in whenever she has time, logs hours for the time she worked, then leaves. That way if she accepts Bruce's offer, she can still be apart of the team without anyone having to adopt her."

"She's going to have to adopt a new identity. Her dad will be after her the minute he breaks out of prison. Their current apartment will be his first place to look."

"So we'll pay the first few months of rent in the one above the music shop. The owners don't live there, because it's their second one in the city. Jasper is smart, but he would not think to look next door. He would think that if she isn't in the apartment, then she'd be on the other side of the city."

"FIne, but only if she joins the team so we can keep an eye on her," Ollie said. "And don't tell her until after she's made her decision. Otherwise it's straight to Star City CPS."

Dinah glared at Oliver, "No, if she doesn't join the team we won't punish her. We'll help her out either way."

"Green Arrow, Black Canary," J'onn's steady voice sounded in their heads. "Batman and the others are ready for you in Training Room A."

The two heros glanced at each other, then at the camera in the corner of the room that the knew was currently in J'onn's line of sight.

"Thanks, J'onn!" they yelled simultaneously while giving a thumbs up to the camera.

* * *

_Watchtower Observation Deck: Training Room A_

_2:45 p.m._

Batman handed Aika her necklace and knife. She slid the knife in her boot, like before, and clasped the necklace, flipping her hair over it so it rested on her throat. Aika nodded in thanks, smiling slightly.

The training room looked like a small stadium, complete with an observation deck with glass windows looking down on the floor. Though, unlike a stadium, there were no seats except for in the observation deck, in which there were twelve modified office chairs. Sitting in two of these chairs were Flash and Robin, waiting for Black Canary and Green Lantern to join them. The two walked in and sat down next to each other.

Also inside the observation deck was a control panel for when a hero wanted a partner making tasks more and more difficult for them.

The panel controlled different tasks such as a maneuverable obstacle course, rapid-fire machine guns attached at sixteen points on the walls, water drop-offs, and a spinning floor in the center of the room.

The training room itself was circular, the walls all white. The only real way to orient oneself was to find the glass on the observation deck, but that glass could be covered, making it impossible for one to remember the direction from which they entered, especially if the floor was currently moving.

Aika was looking around the room in fear. "What the heck is all of this here for? I thought this was just to test the prototypes and my microphone."

Batman smirked, as if he could read her thoughts, "We won't be testing any form of fighting abilities, those come with the job if you accept it," Aika let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in.

"We are, however, going to test those headphones that Robin handed you earlier, and a smaller pair of earplugs for everyday life to make sure that you won't have any computers blaring into your ears at school."

"I won't be allowed to continue homeschooling, will I?"

"No."

"Alright. Let's do this." With that, Batman left Aika alone and moved into the observation deck.

From the speakers above the deck, Aika heard Canary's voice. "Okay, so first we have the headphones, which should be a bit more heavy-duty than the earbuds. They're also harder to pull off, so they are more useful if you are going to be fighting. To test them, we are going to use a more efficient version of the test they use in most public elementary schools. A beep will play, and if you can hear it, nod. If it is too loud, just say something. We'll do the same test with the earbuds after we've finished with the headphones."

Aika nodded, "Let's do this."

While Aika was in the training room nodding her head every few seconds, letting canary know that her hearing was nearly up to par with Superman's, even with the headphones, the other four people in the room were conversing about what was to be done with the girl.

Ollie was explaining Dinah's plan, "Dinah and I will let her stay with us for a few weeks until we can get the apartment arranged. It's just a block away from where she currently lives. Upstairs from a music shop called _Sax in the City_. The owners spoke with Dinah on the phone and are going to let her work there in her freetime, paid at $30 an hour."

Robin spoke up, "wait a second, you said the owners already said she could work there, but isn't she going to have to change her name and everything? If she does join the team, anyone that knows anything about Jasper would be able to figure out who she is in a heartbeat."

"We will allow her to chose her new identity. As soon as she chooses a name, we can have Dinah sign the papers to be the emergency contact for school. Other than that, she should be okay on her own."

Ollie decided to change the subject, "Bruce, you said you had more of that throat lozenge for her?"

"What I gave her was just a prototype. It's harmless, but WayneTech is working on a smaller, solidified form of it that she could keep in a pill bottle on her person at all times," Bruce said.

"Um, guys. We still don't know how well those muffs work," Flash noted. "We may want to keep using aliases. Remember, the engines were causing her pain because they were too loud."

Black Canary walked over to the group of boys. "Well, if we ever need someone to eavesdrop, we know who to call. Her hearing is exceptional. With the headphones it's close, if not slightly better than Superman's, and without? She can hear every frequency. High and low. That's why the engines were causing her so much pain. It wasn't just the volume, but also the droning. The beeping of the heart monitor couldn't have helped, either."

Robin laughed dryly, "No wonder she was freaking out when she woke up."

"When she takes those headphones off it is like me screaming directly into your ear the entire time. There is nothing she cannot hear. She can even hear radio waves just in the air. I don't know if she can decipher them, though. I can't do a distance test, but I'm assuming she can pick up conversations from miles away. On the bright side, she can control it enough to single out specific voices if she isn't too tired. So, eventually she'll be able to work for short periods of time without any cancelling."

Flash spoke up, "So what else do we need to do with her today?"

Canary went back over to the control panel. Speaking into a microphone, she told Aika, "You can come up here. We need to tell you what is going to happen." Moments later, Aika walked through the door into the observation deck and over to the group.

Batman was tasked with the creation of Aika's new identity and had created a backstory easy enough for Aika to remember on the spot, yet boring enough that no one would ever really fact-check it.

Two days after Aika Dewhurst left the Watchtower, Aria Destler was introduced to Gotham.

* * *

Canary and Arrow bought the apartment above _Sax in the City_ and completed arrangements with Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, the owners. Within the week, there was a new worker at the small music shop below the apartment. The Wilsons, a middle-aged couple with no children, were thrilled to learn that someone with actual experience would be working with the instruments in their new shop. They spent most of their time in their first shop, the widely popular _Gone with the Woodwinds,_ and had given free range of the new store to the only full-time employee, a 21 year old named Ryan.

Ryan was a bit of a twig. He had almost no muscle anywhere. He had a mop of stringy blond hair that always managed to fall into his eyes no matter how much gel he tried to use, and his forehead was forever covered in pimples of various sizes. His ears stuck out in an odd fashion, as if someone was constantly pulling them forward, and his nose was permanently crooked because of a fall he'd suffered in fourth grade down the stairs at school on his way back from the cafeteria. The black polo shirt that Ryan insisted must be tucked in everyday never quite fit him right. It was too loose in the arms, neck, and chest while still managing to be almost too tight in the stomach. Though, you really couldn't see that it was too tight in the stomach because of the horrendous, high-waisted jeans that Ryan always hiked up as far as they could go. Because of the ludicrous height of the jeans, any customer that saw him from the waist down had a wonderful view of the neon orange tennis shoes he wore with navy blue socks every day. No one really knew why he wore this particular color combination, but no one ever asked and he never offered to tell.

He also had no training whatsoever in the way of music. He had only been hired in the new store so that he could work the register. In that regard, he was extremely successful as he had manned the register in at least fourteen different fast-food restaurants in the last two years. Although, if a customer ever had a question about sizing a cello or finding a new reed

for their clarinet, he had to call one of the Wilson's at _Gone with the Woodwinds._

_Sax in the City_ was a little bit smaller than _Gone with the Woodwinds_, but it was also in much better shape than the older store. The foundation of the building was better, so there were fewer cracks in the walls. Because it was a newer shop, it didn't receive as many customers, which is why the Wilsons tended to spend more of their time at their first store. But, they hadn't skipped out on any expenses when decorating _Sax in the City_ or stocking it with excellent-quality instruments. The front of the store was set up with two identical bullet-proof windows on either side of a double door. The windows had black curtains that closed to cover a full drumset or a row of string instruments when the store was closed. When you walked inside, you could see a long glass case that served as the register stand. Inside the case was a number of small instruments like trumpets, flutes, piccolos, and violins. On the left side of the store sat most of the items needed for electronic music such as keyboards, amps, and pickups. Guitars, both electric and acoustic, lined the walls. On the right side of the store were the more classical instruments like the strings, woodwinds, and brass. Scattered around the store were shoulder-high wire shelves that held thousands of music books fit for every age and ability, from the very first lesson to pieces worthy of Carnegie Hall.

Because she lived above _Sax in the City_, Aria was able to come down and work any time he was free. She had a time card that she would scan as soon as she walked in the back door, and scanned again when she walked back out. She could work anywhere between five minutes and five hours. Any time the shop was open, she was able to work. And then, at the end of the month, her time was added up and she was paid accordingly.

A few days after she was settled, which she decided was on July 20, she got a call.

* * *

"**Aria Destler?**"

"Who is this?"

"**It is Dr. C, from your evaluation** **two weeks ago**," said the female voice on the other line. "**We wanted to know if you felt ready to come in? We have a team of… students with whom we believe you would fit right in."**

"I may need a ride my first day, I don't exactly know where your Gotham office is."

**"I'll send one of our students. He works very closely with another one of the Gotham-based doctors. He'll be at your apartment tomorrow at 5:00. Be in you work attire."**

"Thank you so much for this opportunity, Dr. C," and Aria meant every word.

* * *

_Mount Justice_

_July 27, 17:15_

"Robin B-01," beeped the computer as the swirling green zeta beam burst open and Robin stepped through. He waited at the entrance for the girl who was supposed to follow him through.

"Treble B-07."


	6. True Believers

_Hey guys! I'm sorry that it's been so long between updates (but lets get real, I almost never update because of school and parents and pure lack of creative juices). I noticed a few days ago that the two-year anniversary of this story's publishing is today (December 23, 2016), so I decided that I needed to update to celebrate. I'll attempt to write another chapter before school starts, but my other story, Techie, also deserves a chance at another update before then as well, so please don't put any faith in that happening. I also have APUSH reading and a project that need to get done before January 3rd, so the chances of this getting another update for a while are pretty slim._

_Whoops._

_Anyway, without further adieu..._

* * *

_**Chapter 6: "True Believers"**_

_Mount Justice_

_August 19, 19:39 EDT_

'Treble, B-07.'

The girl who walked through the zeta tube was not the same girl from the fight against Music Meister. This girl looked much less sure of herself, though her outfit and gear said otherwise. She walked slowly, with small steps, and her arms were crossed in front of her stomach.

Dinah and Oliver had worked with Bruce to upgrade Aria's uniform so she wasn't wearing just jeans and a t-shirt. While that ensemble may have worked for Superboy, Aria wasn't exactly bulletproof. Her new ensemble was very similar to her makeshift outfit in shape and silhouette, but it held in place much more efficiently. Bruce had altered her pants and given her a pair similar to his and Dick's, black and made out of Kevlar with added protection around her knees. Kevlar was also the main material used in her purple corset. Boning had been added, at Aria's request, so she had stable pockets in which to keep her knives hidden so she didn't stab herself when putting them away. If it was cold or the mission required arctic stealth, then long kevlar sleeves could be added.

Her boots had also been changed. Instead of the pleather she'd worn against her father, she was given a pair of knee-high, brown combat boots. Kevlar padding was set in-between the two layers of leather. The same fabric combination, though slightly more malleable, was used for the three belts wrapped around her waist. One was brown and used purely for keeping her pants on her waist. The other two were purple and green.

The purple belt was just like Robin's utility belt, but instead of holding 'bird-a-rangs' it held micro-amplifiers and extra earplugs for civilians. The green belt was also at her request. She wanted a gun. While Aria didn't plan on using it all that often, she needed something simple to use in emergencies when her brain wasn't moving as fast as the situation. The green belt held the single Glock 22 and multiple full magazines for it. Bruce had also given her a pair of fingerless gloves similar to Robin's, but that controlled her microphones and amplifiers instead of hacking into computers.

Her cape was the same length as the Boy Wonder's, and made out of the same materials. In sync with her musical theme, the cape attached to her corset through two hooks that formed a giant eighth note across her chest, leaving enough room for her necklace to peek through. The inside of the cape was green while the outside was black. The neck of the cape went up to about an inch before her jawline.

Because Aria hadn't yet figured out how to control her singing or why it sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, Oliver and Bruce had worked together to make her a mouthpiece that would allow her to speak or sing without hypnotizing anyone. If she took it off, or opened a screen on the inside, then anyone listening to her without earplugs was susceptible to her voice. They had also given her a pair of headphones that blocked out all excess noise. She could change the settings to be louder or softer, but her hearing was definitely limited with them on. When she took them off, the barrage of sounds would be painful, but she could also hear better and further than Superman.

Every piece of her uniform had color-changing nanodes sewn in, so she had the same camouflage tech as the rest of the team. All she had to do to change was tap the treble clef symbol at the top of her corset or the left hip of her pants.

Aria walked over to the sparring court, where Aqualad and Superboy were training. Robin placed a hand on her shoulder and walked back toward the zeta tube. Her eyes widened and she grabbed his arm.

"Wait," she said hurriedly, "where are you going?"

Robin looked at her, confused. "I have to go meet up with Batman. That whole dynamic duo thing? We still do that."

"You're just going to leave me here?"

"That was the plan," he said as he walked into the tube. "Oh, and don't tell them your name for now. Just go by Treble." Then he disappeared. 'Robin B-01.'

While Aqualad and Superboy had yet to acknowledge Treble's presence, M'gann had already started walking over to her new teammate. Artemis and Wally were watching with slight interest.

"Hi!" the martian said, a little loudly, as she reached Treble. "Welcome to the team!" M'gann was now pulling the girl towards the rest of the people in the room.

"I'm M'gann, but you can call me Megan," she said. She then gestured to the two people not currently engaged in a fight, "and this is Artemis and Kid Flash."

"I was just told to go by Treble. Hi," said the newcomer as she executed a small wave of her right hand. Kid Flash and Artemis walked over. Well, Artemis walked. Kid bolted toward the new teammate and bombarded her with information and questions alike.

"Hi," he started. "I'm Kid Flash, but M'gann already told you that. Just call me Wally to keep things simple. Can I call YOU anything? Are you anything but trouble? What exactly are your powers? Why do you have your mask on in here?" He was starting to speak faster and faster as the sentences dragged on until Artemis finally pulled him away from Treble.

"I'm sorry. He get's excited. I think he was asking if we can call you by anything other than 'Treble'," she said. "Oh, and he wants to know what exactly your powers are. Batman didn't tell us much."

Treble's eyes widened, "Batman told you guys I was coming? How long ago did you find out? I hadn't even given him a definite answer until yesterday," she paused. "Though, come to think of it, that would explain why he already had the suit made."

Wally piped back up, "We've known about the possibility of a new member for about a month and a half. So it wasn't all that surprising when Robin walked in with you."

Treble sighed. "You wanted to know what my powers were, right?" The three heroes surrounding her nodded. "You might as well bring the other two over here for this. I don't talk much, so explaining is a lot easier if you're all here." Right as she finished her sentence, Superboy managed to flip Aqualad flat onto his back.

'Fail Aqualad.'

The boys walked over to where the rest of the team was standing with Treble. Each boy introduced himself, and Kaldur gave Treble permission to call him by his shortened name.

Treble cleared her throat. "Okay, so my voice gives out on me really quickly, so I need to know what you already know so I can start from there."

Kaldur was the first to speak, "We do not know much. Only that your hearing was made extremely sensitive in the last six or seven weeks through a recording of the canary cry."

Treble sighed, "Okay, so I do have to start at the beginning."

She told them of who her father was and what she had done to stop him, then proceeded to explain what happened after she woke up in the Watchtower infirmary.

"I'm pretty sure that everyone and their dog will figure out my real name whenever media finds out about me, so I guess you can call me Aika, since she's dead. I go by a different name now."

M'gann spoke, "do you know how your voice works? Have you or the league figured it out?"

Treble shook her head, "we don't know for sure. While I inherited my father's basic powers, they work differently. For his, he just has to hit a specific pitch and sing what he wants people to do. We think mine are more complicated, because I don't have to sing about what I want the person to do, I just have to sing. Sometimes I just have to speak. That's why I have the mask."

Superboy's expression turned to one of confusion, "so is it a biological difference between you and Jasper?" he asked.

Treble nodded, "that's what the League thinks. They did a scan before I left the Watchtower and found that my vocal folds don't move the same way as everyone else's," she slapped her hands softly together, much like a seal. "This is how a normal person's fold move when they're vocalizing." She started to move her left hand forward and back while the right hand stayed moving the same way it had been. "This is how my folds move. Batman thinks that the left one creates an extra frequency, and that's what causes people to fall into a trance. I don't know how to control it, but that's why I don't necessarily have to be singing. I stay pretty quiet when I don't have the mask on."

Wally's eyes lit up, "so the extra friction caused by that left vocal cord is what tires out your voice so quickly! It's like if I have to run long distance in nothing but shorts."

She nodded and held up a pill bottle, "that's what these lozenges are for. They're kinda like Underdog's blue pills. They bring my voice back pretty quickly and it lasts just as long as it usually would." She put the pill bottle back into her purple belt. As soon as she had finished speaking, a burst of wind flew through an opening in the top of the cavern. A red body floated down on top of the miniature tornado. Everyone, Aikea included, ran toward the robot in what she assumed was excitement. Wally was the first to reach him.

"Do you have a mission for us?"

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility."

"Yeah, well The Batman's with the Robin doing the Dynamic Duo thing in Gotham, but you're headed somewhere, right?" Wally started. "Hot date, or a- a missiôn?"

Kaldur interrupted the speedster, "If we can be of help…" While Red Tornado could not actually make expressions, if he could have sighed, he probably would have as he turned around and activated the holographic board behind him. Within the holoboard was a picture of a man holding a cane. His hair was silver and neatly combed, with a few wisps creating a little curl at the top of his forehead.

"This is Kent Nelson, a friend," Tornado started. "He is 106 years old-"

"Guy doesn't look a day over 90," Wally whispered to Artemis and Treble, who snickered.

"-And he has been missing for 23 days," continued Tornado as if he'd never been interrupted in the first place. "Kent was a charter member of the Justice Society, the precursor to your mentors' Justice League."

Kaldur understood before everyone else, "Of course, Nelson was Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, he was Dr. Fate!"

Wally again leaned over towards Artemis and whispered in her ear, "pshh, more like Dr. Fake. Guy knows a little advanced science and Dumbledores it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes."

Tornado continued, "Kent may simply be on one of his walkabouts, but he is caretaker to the Helmet of Fate, the source of the Doctor's mystic might, and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded."

M'gann had been listening in awe for most of this conversation, "He's like the great Sorcerer Priests and Priestesses of Mars, I would be honored to help find him."

This got Wally's attention, and changed his tune as he suddenly walked over towards M'gann and said, "ME TOO! So honored I can barely stand it. Magic...rocks." Artemis and Treble both looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Tornado held up a gold key. "Take this," he said as he handed it to Kaldur. "It is the key to the Tower of Fate."

Wally, still next to and trying to impress M'gann asked her, "What are the chances we both so admire the mystic arts?" To which he received no response as M'gann walked over toward Artemis and Treble.

"Do you want to come with?" she asked Treble. "This should be a good introductory mission."

Artemis chimed in, playfully punching Treble in the shoulder, "yeah, we're just trying to find some old guy! What could go wrong?"

* * *

Salem

August 19, 20:22 EDT

"So Wally, when did you realize your _honest affinity_ for sorcery?" Artemis asked. She'd been trying to call Wally out on his phony story for the entire ride, and he'd managed to weasel his way out of her grasp every time.

He smirked, "Well, I don't like to brag but, before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself."

Everyone paying any attention to him (Read: everyone but M'gann) rolled their eyes and looked forward.

M'gann looked confused, "We've reached Tornado's coordinates but-" Superboy finished her sentence, "-Nothing's there."

Kaldur narrowed his eyes, "Take us down."

As they exited the Bioship, Treble's head cocked to one side. She had heard something that sounded like it was coming out of the broken down theatre across the street, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She watched as an orange cat with black...stripes?... entered the building, but thought nothing of it. She continued walking with the rest of the team, slightly behind Aqualad. The empty park in front of them didn't look very promising.

Wally sped around the park, just to make sure they weren't missing anything. "Nothing. This isn't simple camouflage," he said as he finished running.

"So what do you think," Artemis aimed the question at Wally, hoping once again to call him on his magic act. "Adaptive micro-opto-electronics combined with phase shifting?"

She was so close, "Absolutely," Wally started, then caught himself as M'gann walked over to him. "-...not. Clearly… mystic powers are at work here." Everyone rolled their eyes at him. Again.

Treble heard something coming from the theater again. She listened closer.

"Aren't YOU using adaptive micro-opto-electronics and phase shifting?"

"Yes."

Treble's head turned toward the sound. The whispers stopped, then started again.

"Can that kid here us?"

"I think so."

"Then SHUSH."

"Treble," she turned her head to see the rest of the team entering a tower that hadn't been there before. Superboy was waiting outside for her. "You coming?"

"Y-yeah, I'm coming," she said as she walked into the tower. "I thought I'd heard something."

Treble closed the door behind herself, hoping that whatever it was she heard wouldn't follow them inside. It disappeared behind her.

"Uh, where'd the door go?" Asked Superboy. As soon as he finished his sentence, what Treble assumed was a hologram appeared before them. The man in the hologram was identical to the Kent Nelson she'd seen back at the cave during the briefing.

"Greetings," it- he- said. "You have entered with a key, but The Tower doesn't recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent."

Wally looked at M'gann before dramatically stepping forward. "We are true believers, here to find Dr. Fate!" At the conclusion of his drama, the hologram rolled his eyes and disappeared.

Then the floor dropped out from under the team.

* * *

_And there you go, chapter 6! I hope you liked it and, like I said I will try to resolve the cliffhanger before school starts back up, but it is highly unlikely._

_Love you guys, and Happy New Year!_

_-LLS_


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